Vanity case



Feb. 13, 1940. F. M. WILLIAMSON VANITY CASE Filed July 11. 1938 PatentedFeb. 13 l940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VANITY CASE Floyd M.Williamson, Detroit, Mich. Application July 11, 1938, Serial No. 218,5107 Claims. (01. 206-37) This invention relates to vanity cases ingeneral, and in particular to vanity cases equipped with novellyarranged and readily operable cosmetic containers.

Vanity cases, to be marketable, must be compact though containing roomycompartments, and they must be readily serviceable and yet be extremelyattractive. Although the price to the purchaser of this type of deviceis secondary if the device has embodied therein the above qualities,yet, to the manufacturer cost is an important factor. 80, to rearrangethe various essential cosmetic compartments within a vanity case so asto make these compartments more readily accessible and moreindependently operable, without incurring too much additionalmanufacturing costs and without sacrificing the beauty and compactnessof the device, presents problems the solutions of which requireingenuity which has not as yet been exercised in the vanity case field.

For the accomplishment of these ends one of the main objects of theinvention is to improve the present day vanity case whereby it will bebetter adapted for serving the wants of the user because of itsincreased utility.

Another object is to preserve the compactness of a vanity case withoutsacrificing its attractiveness by providing in said vanity case butoutside of the main cosmetic compartment a separate cosmetic compartmentcontaining one of the necessary and widely used cosmetics which is madereadily accessible and usable with or without opening thevanity case,thereby to increase the serviceability of the vanity case.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a vanity casehaving a main cosmetic compartment an auxiliary cosmetic compartmentmade accessible without opening the vanity case to gain access to saidmain compartment.

A further object is to provide a vanity case with novelly arranged meanswhereby the operation thereof will perform the above objects, theconstruction, cost and arrangement of said means increasing theserviceability and utility of the vanity ness and beauty thereof oradding materially to the manufacturing cost and selling price of suchdevice.

Other objects and advantages will become.

case without sacrificing the compact-' vanity case embodying the presentinvention, and showing same in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the vanity case in closed position,partly broken away and partly in section for better illustratingstructural details of the device;

Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the device shown in Fig. 2 and looking atthe latter from the left thereof;

Fig. 4 is a top edge elevation of the device I shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views taken along the lines 55 and 6-6,respectively, in Fig. 2; Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken along thelines 1-1 in Fig. 3; and

'Fig. 8 is a sectional lines 8-8 in F18. 2.

The vanity case which is shown in the figures comprises a pair of casingmembers it and view taken along the i2, hinged as at II, and each casingbeing formed with inturned flanged edges which abut each other when thecasings are in closed position. Casing In, which forms no part of theinvention but which is a necessary element in the vanity case proper,serving both as a cover member and also as a mirror container, isprovided with a marginal flange l6 disposed slightly above the back faceof the casing and beneath which, to be held in place thereby, is amirror l8. Casing I0 is also provided with an opening 20 which,

when casings i0 and I2 are in closed, abutting position, is engaged by alocking member, to be discussed later, on casing l2 for locking saidcasings together when the vanity case is not in use.

Casing member l2, which comprises the main cosmetic container, is formedat its top end with an outwardly proiectingsection 22 which extendsbeyond casing l0 when said casings Ill and i2 are in closed position.Section 22 is flanged at its edges as is the main portion of casing l2and is enclosed by an upraised portion 24 of a casing member 26 which isalso flanged at the edges of portion 24 to abut the flanged edges of thesection 22 of casing i2, casing 26 extending downwardly from portion 24in parallel spaced relation to the back surface of the main portion ofcasing l2 and fitting thereinto to form compartments 28 and 30 forcosmetics, such as powder and rouge, said compartments 28 and 30 beingformed in casing 26 byproviding apertures therein with rearwardlyprojecting walls 32 and 34, respectively, said apertures 28 and 30 beingadapted for receiving and holding packages of, say,

some of the powder and rouge.

' I2 are in closed position, this provision being for the sake ofappearance.

The compartment which is 'thus provided between the outwardly extendingsection 22 of casing I2 and the upraised section 24 of inner casing 26,when said casings are joined and fitted together in any desirablemanner, such as by spot welding or otherwise, comprises an auxiliarycosmetic compartment for housing, say, a lip stick. A lip stick has beenchosen for purpose of illustration, but it is obvious that any otherform of cosmetic can be substituted therefor. The lip stick 36 iscontained within the usual container 38, the container 38 being providedwith the usual removable cap member 48, and the unit of lip stickcontainer and cap is pivoted at one end, such as by a pin 42 whichextends transversely through the container 38 and between the sides ofthe sections 22 and 240i casings I2 and 26, pivot pin 42 having its endspreferably concealed for the sake of appearance and also to prevent samefrom catching and tearing materials usually accompanying the vanity casewithin the owners hand bag.

To provide for egress and ingress of the lip stick from and into thecompartment containing same, the flanges which form the abuttingrelationship between the sections 22 and 24 of casings I2 and 26 areremoved from the top end of the vanity case adjacent the lip stick unit,thus providing a slot 44 which should, naturally, be dimensioned inaccordance with the plan dimensions of the lip stick unit. Also, it ispreferable to have the top exposed surfaces of the lip stick unit and ofthe adjacent flanges of sections 22 and 24 of casings I2 and 26 lie insubstantially the same plane when the lip stick is concealed or not inuse.

Within the housing supporting the lip stick and its container is aspring 46 which is anchored at one end to the inner wall of the section24 of casing 26 between the end of the lip stick container and said wallthe end of spring 46 opposite its anchored end underlying said lip stickcontainer and constraining the latter to move outwardly through slot 44about the pivot 42. Spring 46 is anchored in any ordinary manner, butthe employment of welding is preferable in order to minimize the numberof unnecessary elements protruding from the outer surface of the vanitycase assembly. Also anchored to an inner wall of said section 24, at apoint beyond the free end of spring 46 and underneath a more centralportion of lip stick container 38, is another spring 48 the free end ofwhich, due to its resiliency. is constrained upwardly about itsanchorage. Spring 48,- at a point substantially directly below the pivot42 of lip stick container 38, is provided with an upstanding lug 58which is cooperable with a shoulder 52 on the underside of container 38for locking the later against upward movement about the pivot. See Figs.1 and 2 for the unlocked and locked positions, respectively, of the lipstick unit 363848.

Also in the lip stick compartment there is provided a third springmember 54 which is anchored at one end to an upper portion of theflanged edge of section 24 of casing 26. Spring 54, from its anchoragepoint, substantially follows the inner side edge of the lip stickcompartment to the wall of section 28 forming the lower wall of section24, at which wall and for the purpose of avoiding and underlying samespring 54 is notched, such as at 56 (see Fig. 3). Spring 54 is directedforwardly from the notched portion 56 through an opening 58 (see Figs. 1and 2) in casing26 and extends to a position adjacent the top corner ofthe flanged edge of casing I8 whereat the opening 28 in casing I8 isprovided (see Figs. 3 and 7). The free end of spring 54 is provided witha hook 68 which is engageable over a side of the wall forming theopening 28 in casing l8 for locking the casings I8 and I2 together.

I Intermediate the ends of spring 54, and integral therewith, is a shortrod 62 which extends outwardly from the lip stick compartment through anopening in the wall of said compartment provided therefor, the inner endof rod 62 being pointed to provide a camming surface thereat. The axisof rod 62 lies in a plane slightly above the upper surface of spring 48,when the lip stick unit is in inoperative position, and the point of theinner end of rod 62 slightly overlaps the free end of said spring 48,said free end of said spring being turned downwardly and, in alignmenttherewith in the lower wall of section 24 of casing 26, there is anopening 64 into which said free end of said spring is free to projectduring the downward movement thereof caused by inward movement of therod 62.

Rod 62 is constrained outwardly by spring 54, the normal position ofsaid rod being out of contact with spring 48. To open the casings I8 andI2 and also to throw out the lip stick unit, the rod 62 is pressedinwardly at which time the free end of spring 64 is forced away from thewall of opening 28 in casing I 8, thereby disengaging casings I8 and I2,and the spring 48 is forced downwardly, thereby disengaging the lug andshoulder portions 58 and 52 on spring 48 and container 38 and permittingthe spring 46 to throw outwardly the free end of the lip stick container38. The closing operation of the vanity case with its lip stickcontainer is obvious from the above. It should be noted that, if it isdesired to use only the lip stick, the casings I8 and I2 can be held inclosed position by the hand while the rod 62 is pushed inwardly, inwhich case as soon as the lip stick container is released the rod 62- isforced outwardly by spring 54, thereby locking casings I8 and I2together.

I Although the invention has been described with some detail suchdescription is not intended to limit the scope of the inventive idea.The right is reserved to make such changes in the specification anddrawing as will come within the purview' of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a vanity case, a pair of inter-fitting casing members forming acompartment therebetween, a cover hinged to one of said casing members,a cosmetic holder normally confined within said compartment andpivotally supported at an end therein, said compartment having anopening adjacent said holder, means engaging the free end of said holderfor urging same about its pivoted support through said opening, a memberanchored at one end in said compartment and formed intermediate its endswith an upstanding portion, an interruption formed on. the surface ofsaid holder and engaged by said upstanding portion for locking saidholder against pivoted movement, a spring supported and positioned insaid compartment, and a cam operable externally of said compartment fordepressing the free end of said anchored member to release saidupstanding portion from said interruption,

whereby said holder is urged outwardly through said opening by saidmeans, said spring having a free hooked end engageable with said coverfor locking said cover and casing members together during the normalposition of said cam.

2. In a vanity case, a compartment, a cosmetic holder supported formovement about a pivotal axis into and out of said compartment throughan opening provided therefor in said compartment, means cooperable withthe surface of said holder opposite said opening for normallyconstraining said holder outwardly through said opening about said axis,and releasable lockin means cooperable with the same surface of saidholder for normally opposing the action of said first means.

3. In a vanity case, a compartment, a cosmetic holder supported formovement about a pivotal" axis into and out of said compartment throughan opening provided therefor in said compartment,- a spring having oneof its ends anchored in said compartment and its other end resilientlycooperable with the surface of said holder opposite said opening fornormally constraining said holder outwardly through said opening aboutsaid axis, and releasable locking means cooperable with the same surfaceof said holder for normally opposing the action ofsaid spring.

4. In a vanity case, a compartment, a cosmetic holder supported 'formovement about a pivotal axis into and out of said compartment throughan opening provided therefor in said compartment, means cooperable withthe surface of said holder opposite said opening for normallyconstraining said holder outwardly through said opening about said axis,locking means cooperable witiLtige a-me surface of said holder fornormally opposifigfithemiion of said first means, and means operableexterna of said compartment 0' for releasing said locking means:-

' 5. In a vanity case, a compartment, a cosmeti the locking actionthereof and simultaneously holder supported for movement about a pivotalaxis into and out of said compartment through an opening providedtherefor in said compartment, means cooperable holder opposite saidopening for normally constraining said holder outwardly through saidopening about said axis, a spring normally urged toward said holder andhaving an element thereon cooperable with a receiving portion thereforwith the surface of said on said surface of said holder for locking saidholder against the action of said means, and means operable externallyof said compartment for releasing said element from said portion.

6. In a. vanity case, a compartment, a cosmetic holder supported formovement about a pivotal axis into and out of said compartment throughan opening provided therefor in said compartment, a spring having one ofits ends anchored in said compartment and its other end resilientlycooperable with the surface of said holder opposite said opening fornormally constraining said holder outwardly through said opening aboutsaid axis, a second spring mounted in said compartment and normallyurged toward said holder and having an element thereon cooperable with areceiving portion therefor on said surface of said holder for lockingsaid holder against the action of said first spring, and means operableexternally of said compartment for releasing said element from saidportion.

' '7. In a vanity case having a compartment provided with an opening ina wall thereof and a second compartment having a closure member, acosmetic holder pivotally mounted in the first compartment for movementthrough the opening into and out of the compartment, means cooperablewith that surface of said holder opposite the opening for normallyurging said holderutward- 1y therethrough, meansgcooperabl'with the samesurface of said holder for normally locking said holder in place in itscompartment against the action of said first means, and 'meanscooperable with said second means for ineffectuating eflectuang'theopening/ofjhe closure member.

